River Valley Glassworks - How To Play

Summary

In this video, Rodney Smith teaches viewers how to play River Valley Glassworks, a game for 1 to 5 players, designed by Ben Pinchback, Matt Riddle, and Adam Hill. Players take on the role of woodland merchants competing to collect and place colorful glass pieces on their boards to score points. The setup involves arranging river tiles, drawing glass pieces, and strategically placing them to fill rows and columns. The game concludes when a player reaches 17 pieces, followed by scoring based on completed rows and columns, making strategic collection essential for victory. Solo play options are also available.

Takeaways

• 😀 The game 'River Valley Glassworks' is designed for 1 to 5 players and involves collecting colorful glass pieces.
• 🎲 Players set up by arranging river tiles and drawing glass pieces to fill their Glass Works boards.
• 🏞️ The game features a river and lake tiles, where players gather glass based on their placement on the tiles.
• 🪙 Players can take one of two actions on their turn: placing and gathering glass or drawing from the lake.
• 📦 When placing glass, it must match the shape on the tile, and players can collect from adjacent tiles.
• 🔄 If a player places two matching glass pieces, they can gather from one adjacent tile instead of one.
• 💧 Players must manage their satchel and glass pieces, ensuring they don’t exceed five in their satchel at any time.
• 🏁 The game ends when a player reaches or exceeds 17 pieces of glass, triggering final scoring.
• 📈 Scoring involves calculating points based on completed rows and columns on the player's board, as well as penalties for overflow glass.
• 🤔 Solo play is also available with special rules and rival boards for added challenge.

Q & A

What is the primary objective of River Valley Glassworks?

The primary objective is to collect glass pieces and fill the rows and columns of your board to score the most victory points by the end of the game.

How many players can participate in River Valley Glassworks?

The game can accommodate 1 to 5 players.

What components are used to set up the game?

The setup requires six River tiles, one Lake tile, glass pieces in nine colors and six shapes, player boards, satchels, markers, and stones.

What are the two possible actions a player can take on their turn?

Players can either place and gather glass pieces or draw glass pieces from the lake.

What determines which River tile a player can gather glass from?

The shape of the glass piece placed determines which adjacent River tile can be chosen for gathering glass.

What happens if a player's satchel contains more than five glass pieces?

If a player's satchel exceeds five glass pieces, they must move any excess pieces of their choice to the overflow area.

How is scoring calculated in River Valley Glassworks?

Scoring is based on completed rows and columns, with points awarded for each based on the glass pieces filled. Additionally, players lose points for glass pieces in the overflow.

What triggers the end of the game?

The game ends when a player reaches or exceeds 17 pieces on their inventory track.

Can you explain the penalty for overflow in the game?

Players lose 3 points for every glass piece that ends up in their overflow area, which negatively impacts their final score.

Are there rules for solo play in River Valley Glassworks?

Yes, the game includes solo play rules where a player competes against a rival board with different rules and difficulty levels.